Not Everything is As it Seems
by siriuslywizard
Summary: When "Louise" is kidnapped from the muggle orphanage where she lives and is taken to Malfoy Manor by a death eater called Bellatrix Lestrange who claims to be her mother, little does she know just how much her life is about to change...
1. Chapter 1

"I'm not your daughter!"  
Those were the words Louise screamed at Bellatrix Lestrange as she stood facing her in a small study in Malfoy Manor. Less than two hours ago, she had been sitting in her room at the muggle orphanage where she had been brought up, working on her Potions essay. She hadn't even been called "Louise!" She had been distracted by a noise behind her. "Get out of my room" she said automatically, not bothering to turn around. Why couldn't those kids just keep out of her room? A laugh startled her and she turned around to find Bellatrix Lestrange and two other death-eaters standing in the open doorway of her bedroom. Minutes later, she had found herself in the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix had dragged her into this study and they had been arguing ever since.  
Bellatrix winced at the teenage girl's hysterical tones. "Sit down, shut up and let me explain!" she snapped, finally losing her patience. Subdued, Louise sank down into the chair opposite the desk which Bellatrix was sitting at. Bellatrix looked relieved and started to explain. "You are my daughter" she said firmly.  
"But I don't even look like you!" Louise burst out. Bellatrix looked amused. "I wouldn't be so sure" she replied, handing Louise a mirror. Louise looked surprised, but glanced into the mirror. She looked amazed. Her appearance had changed completely. Gone was the mid-length, almost-black hair and olive skin tone. Instead, she had snow-white skin and long, wavy black hair which fell almost to her waist.  
"The appearance enchantment has been lifted" Bellatrix said.  
Before Louise had chance to argue, she carried on. "When I was sent to Azkaban, you were only a baby. The Ministry took you from me and sent you to live in the muggle world. It has taken many years, but we finally managed to locate you and have brought you back to your family, where you belong. You will restart Hogwarts in September, and will be re-sorted as a mark of your new identity as a pure-blood, not a mud-blood. Any questions?" Bellatrix explained before breezily asking.  
Louise took a deep breath and was about to ask a question when the door opened and a tall boy with black hair walked in. He saw Louise and looked curious. "who's this?" he asked Bellatrix.  
Bellatrix looked from Louise to the boy and back again, a smile spreading across her face. "Louise, I'd like you to meet Alex." she told her. "Alex is your older brother..."


	2. Chapter 2

A smirk spread across Alex's face. "Welcome home little sis" he told Louise. Louise smiled shyly. "Erm...thanks" she replied.  
Bellatrix got to her feet as a pale, thin woman with bleach blonde hair entered the study. When she saw Louise, her face broke into a smile. "This is my sister, Narcissa" Bellatrix introduced her.  
Narcissa smiled. "You can call me Aunt Cissy" she told Louise, who nodded politely.  
Bellatrix spoke quietly to her sister, who then turned back to her niece and said "I'll show you your room"  
Louise followed her aunt Cissy up several flights of stairs and into a large bedroom which had an ensuite bathroom. To her surprise, all her belongings were there. Her aunt Cissy smiled at her and told her "you can decorate it anyway you like, this is your room" then she left.  
For the next few hours, Louise entertained herself by unpacking her things and putting them away in her new room.  
A knock at the door startled her. She opened the door to find Alex. "Mum wants to see you in her living room" he told his sister. Louise looked confused. "Where's...Mum's living room?" she asked, trying out how it felt to have a mum.  
Alex grinned at his sister. "I'll show you" he told her. Alex led her down a flight of stairs and along several corridors. Finally he came to a halt. They were in a corridor with four doors, not including the one they had just came through. "These are Mum's rooms" he explained. He pointed out which was the living room, wished her luck and disappeared the way in which they had just came.  
Louise knocked on the door and entered her Mum's living room. Bellatrix was sitting on a sofa reading the Daily Prophet and scoffing at everything written in it. Seeing her daughter, she put the newspaper down and gestured for Louise to come and sit with her. Louise did as she was bidden.  
"Do you like your room?" Bellatrix enquired. Louise nodded. "It's lovely" she answered, waiting for her mother to get on with telling her what she had called her here for in the first place. Thankfully, Bellatrix did just that. "The Dark Lord wishes you to make an appearance at the Death Eaters meeting tonight" she told her daughter. The colour drained from Louise's face but Bellatrix hastened to add "he simply wishes for me to bring you in and introduce you at the end, before he dismisses the meeting" she reassured her daughter.  
Louise gave a sigh of relief. "When's the meeting?" she asked.  
Her mother smiled. "In ten minutes" she answered.  
Louise went pale. "What?" she asked in horror, her face a mix of fear and worry.


	3. Chapter 3

Louise was shaking with fear as her mum made her wait outside the room full of death eaters and...Lord Voldemort himself. "I'll come and fetch you when we're ready for you" Bellatrix told her daughter before going into the room and leaving her alone.  
Bellatrix went into the room and sat down next to her sister at the long table.  
Draco was sitting between his father and his best friend Alex Lestrange. Sitting along from Alex were Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Crabbe and Goyle junior. Theodore, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle looked pretty uneasy but Draco couldn't really blame them, he'd being coming to these meetings for nearly a year now, whereas his friends had only recently become death eaters and the last few weeks...well the meetings had been taken up by the torturing (and later killing) of spies, traitors and mud-bloods.  
As the end of the meeting was drawing near, Voldemort turned to Bellatrix and commanded "bring her in Bella"  
Draco was intrigued. Bring who in? Surely it couldn't be a prisoner otherwise he wouldn't have sounded so pleased...He thoughts were answered when Bellatrix came back into the room with a young teenage girl who had long wavy black hair and snowy white skin.  
"Everyone, this is Louise Lestrange, daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange" Voldemort announced.  
"Malfoy, Nott, Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, I'm sure your sons will make her feel at home" he addressed the elder death eaters who nodded, fixing their sons with steely glares, just daring them to argue.


	4. Chapter 4

After the death eaters meeting, Draco and the others were instructed to take Louise with them to the living room on their floor. As they all sat down in chairs around the blazing fire, Draco looked across at Louise.  
"I suppose you're my cousin then..." he said slowly.  
She looked at him and shrugged. "I guess..." she answered.  
Blaise was also watching her. "Have you been to Hogwarts before the enchantment was lifted?" he asked curiously.  
Louise looked suspicious. "How do you know about the enchantment?" she asked sharply.  
Blaise looked defensive. "Your brother told us" he replied. "But you haven't answered my question"  
She rolled her eyes. "Yes." she said shortly.  
Theodore and Draco looked interested.  
"Who were you?" Theodore asked.  
She scowled. "Why should I tell you?" she asked.  
"Come on, tell us" Draco persuaded.  
"You all hated me" was all she said.  
The boys looked at each other in confusion. "How could we hate you?" Theodore muttered, looking her up and down.  
She glared at him.  
"Did I say that out loud?" he asked sheepishly.  
"Yes." she snapped, curling up in her chair.  
"So come on, tell us who you were" Blaise persisted.  
She shook her head.  
"Well, you're not that person anymore, so why not just tell us?" Draco wheedled.  
She rolled her eyes. "I was in Gryffindor" she said sharply.  
The boys looked at each other in horror.  
"You weren't Granger were you?" Theodore asked cautiously.  
Louise shook her head.  
"Weaslette?" Draco asked.  
Again, she shook her head.  
"You won't guess" she taunted them.  
They all scowled, all the more determined to work out her old identity.  
"Did you play Quidditch?" Draco asked.  
She nodded, beginning to smile.  
"Are you any good?" Blaise asked.  
She gave a pure-Malfoy smirk. "Well, I must be..." she mused.  
"Why? Were you on the team?" Theodore asked.  
She nodded.  
"What girls are on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?" Draco asked the others.  
"What? You expect me to know?" Blaise exclaimed in disgust.  
Louise hid her smirk as Draco retorted "you should always know your enemy!"  
"There were only three girls" Louise hinted.  
"Wait! Wasn't there that Johnson girl?" Theodore asked suddenly.  
Louise nodded. "Angelina Johnson" she replied.  
"Was that you?" Blaise asked.  
She shook her head, smirking.  
Draco made a noise of annoyance. "I can't think of their names!" he grumbled.  
"Were you that Alicia, Alice, Elissia, whatever she was called?" Blaise asked.  
"Do you mean Alicia Spinnet?" Louise asked.  
"Yeah, were you her?" Blaise asked.  
Louise laughed as she shook her head.  
"Wait. There was that Katie Bell. She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team wasn't she?" Draco asked.  
Louise nodded. "Yeah" she confirmed.  
"Was that who you were?" Draco asked.  
Slowly, Louise nodded. "I was Katie Bell" she admitted.  
"We didn't hate you" Theodore protested.  
Louise looked disbelieving. "Draco cursed me in my fourth year!"she exclaimed.  
Draco looked defensive. "It wasn't intentional!" he protested. "I'm sorry okay!"  
"What's this about you cursing my little sister?" Alex asked sharply, walking into the room.  
The room went silent...  
"Nothing" Draco mumbled.


	5. Chapter 5

Alex gave Draco a disbelieving look, turning to his sister and asking "Lou, what happened?"  
Louise rolled her eyes. "Alex. I was only teasing him. It was an accident in the first place, so just back down okay! I've survived this long without someone having my back, I reckon I can look after myself quite well thank you very much!" she snapped, walking out.  
"Where are you going?" Alex called after his sister.  
"To my room!" she snapped. "Problem?"  
Alex opened his mouth to argue.  
"Don't bother!" Louise snarled, marching off.

Alex turned to the boys. "What's her problem?" he asked.  
They shrugged. "She was fine when it was just us here" Theodore said frostily.  
Alec gave him a cold glare but chose not to retort, instead turning and leaving the room. They heard his footsteps going downstairs.

Later that evening...  
Louise came back into their living room and curled up in a chair near the fire to read.  
Theodore and Blaise came in and sat in chairs near to her.  
"Are you okay?" Theodore asked hesitantly.  
"Yeah" she replied without looking up.  
"Are you sure?" Blaise asked.  
"Yeah" she answered, turning the page in her book.  
"Are you even listening?" Theodore asked.  
"Yeah" she looked up with a grin.  
The boys just rolled their eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco woke up to Alex slamming into his room.  
"What do you want?" he asked sharply, annoyed at being awoken so rudely.  
Alex glared at his cousin. "Mum, Auntie Narcissa, Uncle Lucius and I are all going to Diagon Alley to pick up some supplies. We're going to be gone all day, so you'd better watch Lou and make sure she's settling in. If you don't, I'll make you pay for it when you get back, are we clear?" Alex gave his cousin a look which just dared him to disagree.  
"Yeah, whatever" Draco mumbled, turning over to go back to sleep.  
"We're going now Malfoy, that means you have to get up!" Alex snapped.  
Draco groaned and buried his head under his pillow.  
"Malfoy." Alex's voice was deadly.  
"Fine!" Draco snapped, climbing out of bed and gathering up a pile of clothes from the chair. He stalked off to the bathroom to change.

As Alex, Bellatrix, Narcissa and Lucius left Malfoy Manor, Draco finally made it down the stairs and into the dining room, where he found Blaise, Theodore and Louise waiting for him.  
"Finally" Louise muttered as he sat down opposite her. "Alex went to wake you up an hour ago!"  
He made a face at his cousin.  
"Draco's not really a morning person" Theodore supplied helpfully.  
"I noticed!" Louise laughed.

A/N: Sorry, that the last couple of chapter have been so short! They get longer, I promise!


	7. Chapter 7

"So, Louise, how would you feel about coming to Diagon Alley with us?" Draco asked his cousin.  
She considered it. "Why?" she asked.  
"Because we need to collect some school supplies" Blaise replied.  
"And we're guessing you will too" Theodore added.  
"When?" she asked.  
"How about now?" Draco replied.  
She looked startled. "Now?" she asked in horror.  
"Yeah now, no time like the present" Blaise answered.  
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever, just let me grab my bag"  
"You need a bag to go shopping for a few hours?" Blaise asked incredulously.  
"Yes. Got a problem?" she said shortly.  
"No, no problem" Blaise hastily replied.

Less than 10 minutes later, they were all in Diagon Alley.  
"So, where are we going first?" Louise asked.  
"Borgin and Burkes?" Draco suggested, smirking.  
His cousin scowled. "No. Way." she said firmly. "That place gives me the creeps!"  
Draco chuckled. "I'm only joking" he told her, winking at Blaise and Theodore.  
"You'd better be!" Louise punched her cousin on the arm.  
He winced.  
"What's up Draco, does it hurt, being punched by a girl?" Blaise teased his friend.  
"Shut it Zabini!" Draco hissed.  
Theodore sighed inwardly. It was going to be a long day...


	8. Chapter 8

"Dracooo" Louise's voice took on a whining tone.  
"What?" he asked his cousin, sounding wary.  
"Do we have to go in Borgin and Burkes? That place gives me the creeps!" She gave him her best puppy-dog eyes.  
Draco seemed to be wavering, but Blaise looked stern and told her "We need to go in Borgin and Burkes, we've been sent to collect a package"  
Louise looked unhappy.  
"You could wait outside" Draco suggested.  
She shook her head firmly. "No way. If you guys are going inside, then so am I, I'm not waiting out here by myself!"  
"Suit yourself" Blaise shrugged.  
As they traipsed into the shop, Blaise and Draco marched over to the counter and began to talk to the shop owners.  
Theodore hung back. "Are you okay?" he asked Louise, who was looking around warily.  
She nodded, but as a spider scuttled across the grimy floor, she moved close to Theodore, looking nervous.  
"Are you scared of spiders?" he asked, sounding surprised.  
She nodded, her eyes wide.  
Slipping, his arms around her protectively, he stamped on the spider, killing it instantly.  
Louise breathed a sigh of relief and muttered her thanks.  
Theodore was about to reply when the door was flung open and a group of Death Eaters trooped in.  
Louise clung to Theodore, burying her face in his chest.  
He looked slightly puzzled, but hey, he wasn't about to complain!  
Blaise and Draco retrieved the package and came over to them, Blaise tucking the package in amongst their school supplies. They gave Theodore an amused look, but didn't comment.  
As they left the shop, Louise stayed close to Theodore whilst they finished collecting their school supplies.  
When they arrived back at Malfoy Manor, the boys went to deliver the package.  
Louise was heading up to her room, when Alex appeared. "Hey Lou" he greeted her.  
She grinned at him. "Hey Alex" she replied.  
"Did you have fun shopping?" he asked.  
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, picking up school supplies is every girl's ideal way to spend a day" she replied sarcastically.  
He chuckled. "Put your stuff in your room, then come downstairs, quickly" he told her.  
She looked curious. "Why?" she asked.  
Alex looked mysterious. "There's someone I want you to meet..."


	9. Chapter 9

Louise walked downstairs, wondering who Alex wanted her to meet.

Alex was waiting for her at the foot of the grand staircase.

"Come on sis" he grinned.

She gave him a curious look. "Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"You'll see" he replied mysteriously.

He led her outside, taking her around the side of Malfoy Manor and towards the stables.

"Alex? Why are we going to the stables?" she asked.

Her brother ignored her question, pushing open the heavy oaken door of the stables. He led her down the central aisle, past the horses sticking their heads out over their stall doors. They reached the end stall; which had no horse peering over the door. Louise looked curious as her brother unbolted the door.

As the door swung open, a delighted woof was heard from inside. A brown and white dog ran out, wagging it's tail excitedly. It jumped up at Louise and, laughing, she ruffled it's ears.

"Louise, allow me to introduce you to Prince" Alex smiled.

Watching his sister fuss over the dog, Alex couldn't help but grin. "Do you remember him?" he asked quietly.

Louise was looking thoughtful. "No…" she said slowly.

Alex sighed, looking disappointed.

"Why?" Louise asked. "Should I remember Prince?"

Alex nodded. "You were inseparable from him when you still lived with us…obviously he remembers you!"

Louise looked sad. "Is this supposed to be an attempt for me to reclaim my memories?" she asked.

Alex looked surprised. "Well…yes" he admitted.

"Was this Mum's idea?"

Alex nodded before changing the subject. "So, do you want to take Prince for a walk?" he suggested.

Louise nodded, grinning as Prince's ears pricked up at the mention of the word.

An hour later…

Alex and Louise walked back inside Malfoy Manor, with Prince at Louise's side.

Bellatrix, who was passing by, beamed at the sight of her children. "Can you remember Prince?" she asked her daughter.

Louise shook her head sadly.

Bellatrix looked disappointed, but cheered up when Alex pointed out "we can keep trying Mum"

Nodding, Bellatrix asked Louise "so is Prince staying in your room now?"

Louise nodded. "If that's okay" she answered.

"Of course it is" Bellatrix smiled. "Prince always protected you, he can continue to do so now"

"But Mum, Uncle Lucius said that Prince wasn't allowed in the house" Alex reminded her.

Seeing the panicked look on her daughter's face, Bellatrix promised "you leave your uncle to me, Prince is staying in the house!"


	10. Chapter 10

Louise woke early. Rolling over, she saw that it was 5:45am. Prince, who had been sleeping on the floor beside her bed, sat up, wagging his tail happily.

She chuckled and ruffled his ears before swinging her legs out of bed and heading over to her wardrobe to pick out some clothes.

After washing, dressing and pulling on some trainers, she headed out of her room, Prince at her heels. She silently slipped downstairs and headed outside. After walking through the woods in the sunrise, she headed back to Malfoy Manor for her breakfast.

Lucius Malfoy was crossing the hallway as she came through the front door.

He spotted Prince and scowled. "I told your mother that…creature was not to be allowed in the house!" he snapped.

Louise shrugged. "Good morning to you too uncle" she replied.

Lucius opened his mouth to make a sharp comment, but was cut off by Narcissa, who was heading down the grand staircase.

"Is there a problem darling?" she asked her husband sweetly.

Lucius turned to his wife, fixing a sickly sweet smile onto his face. "No dear" he answered.

As they headed into the dining room, Narcissa turned and winked at her niece, knowing full well what was wrong with her husband.

A/N: I'm sorry it's so short, I haven't had a lot of free time recently, I'll post a longer chapter ASAP!


	11. Chapter 11

It was the 31st August.

"Lou! Louise!" Alex was yelling up the stairs. When he got no reply, he sighed irritably and ran upstairs to find his sister.

He burst into her room,only to find her curled up in the cushioned window seat, fast asleep. As he went to shake her awake, Prince, who had been lying beneath the windowsill, sat up, giving a warning growl.

"It's okay boy" Alex murmured to the dog. "Lou, wake up!" he raised his voice slightly.

She stirred in her sleep and slowly uncurled, rubbing homer eyes sleepily and stifling a yawn. "Wha…" she looked around tiredly.

Her brother gave her an amused look. "Mum wants to see you, she's going to take you for a robe fitting" he told her.

"Why?" Louise asked. "I have all my Hogwarts robes"

Alex wrinkled his nose. "Mum thinks you should have new ones, besides, I need Hogwarts robes too; I'm starting Hogwarts this year, remember?"

A little while later…

Bellatrix was paying for Louise's Hogwarts robes, whilst Madam Malkin's assistant pinned Alex's robes. Draco passed by the shop with Theodore and Blaise. They spotted Louise, who was leaning against an empty display rail with a bored expression on her face.

Bellatrix spotted her nephew and his friends waving to her daughter and smiled. "You run along darling, we'll meet you back at Malfoy Manor" she told her.

Louise cheered up instantly. "Thanks mum" she grinned. "See you later Alex"

Her brother made a face at her and giggling, she hurried out of the shop to meet her cousin and his friends, who were impatiently waiting for her.

"Finally! Miss Daydreamer has rejoined reality!" Draco said sarcastically.

Louise made a face at him. "Haha very funny Draco" she retorted. "Anyway, if you lot wanted me along, why did you leave me this morning?" her tone was accusing.

"Because, my dear cousin, you were fast asleep curled up on the window-seat in your room and Theo here wouldn't let me wake you" Draco drawled.

Louise raised her eyebrows at Theodore, who went faintly pink and avoided making eye contact with her.

Turning back to Draco, she asked "and what were you lot doing in my room anyway?"

Her cousin gave her a cool look. "Well, I was planning on inviting you along, but apparently your sleep was more important" he replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever" she shrugged. "Anyway, where are we going?"

"Oh well you know, just off to Borgin and Burkes again…" Blaise smirked at the expression of disgust on her face.

She caught the smirk and punched him on the shoulder. "Shut up Zabini" she snapped. "Where are we actually going?"

Draco chuckled. "We were planning on going to the Leaky Cauldron and getting a couple of drinks" he answered.

Louise raised her eyebrows. "Will they even serve you?" she asked.

The three boys snorted.

"Our parents are DeathEaters, they wouldn't dare refuse us" Blaise explained, seeing that she was genuinely puzzled.

"Oh…" she was silent as she thought this over.

As Draco and Blaise went to go and fetch drinks, Theodore and Louise went to grab a table. As they sat down, Theodore murmured "you looked adorable when you were asleep"

Louise looked slightly spooked. "Why were you watching me sleep?" she asked.

Theo shrugged. "I wouldn't let Draco wake you up; you looked so peaceful" he explained.

She looked slightly more at ease, but still a little cautious.

Draco and Blaise came over with drinks and Louise didn't really speak much. The three boys began talking about the Quidditch cup at Hogwarts and how they were determined that Slytherin was going to win it this year.

"Well, we're going to have Lou on our team this year" Draco pointed out.

"Which means we'll have an advantage over Gryffindor!" Blaise cheered up.

"Hey, maybe we'll win this year and wipe that smug smile off Potter's face once and for all!" Theodore exclaimed.

"Lou, what do you think? You are going to try out for the team, aren't you?" Draco asked.

"Mmm" Louise replied half-heartedly.

"Are you okay?" Theodore asked her anxiously.

"Yeah" she replied. "I was just thinking about something…"


	12. Chapter 12

It was the first day of school.  
Draco, Louise and Alex left Malfoy Manor early and they arrived at Kings Cross Station with plenty of time to spare. As they stepped onto Platform 9 3/4 they spotted Theodore and Blaise, who were talking to two Slytherin girls.  
The five students waved and headed over to them. "Lou, this is Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass" Draco introduced his cousin to the three girls, who grinned at her.  
Alex had disappeared to find some Slytherins of his own age.  
As the six of them climbed onto the train, they headed to a specific compartment, only to find several first years sitting there already.  
Draco, Theodore and Blaise marched in. "Out" Draco spat.  
The first years looked terrified and scurried out of the compartment.  
"Did you really need to kick them out?" Louise mused as they all sat down.  
Draco raised his eyebrows at his cousin. "Are you questioning me, Lou?" he asked, sounding amused.  
She shook her head. "Not at all cousin" she smirked back.  
For the majority of the journey to Hogwarts, Louise was kept entertained by stories of what the Slytherins got up to in school.  
However, as they neared Hogwarts, Pansy and Daphne kicked the three boys out of the compartment and drew the shutters, so that the three girls could change into their Hogwarts robes.  
Louise had noticed Bellatrix buying her blouses which were a little too tight across the bust and skirts which were dangerously short, however when she had questioned this, Bellatrix's reply had been "you'll fit in with the other Slytherin girls" and now Louise understood. Pansy and Daphne's blouses were a little too tight, their skirts dangerously short.  
Seeing how uncomfortable Louise looked with the length of her skirt, Daphne gave her a warm smile. "Don't worry! You look great!" she encouraged.  
Pansy smiled too. "Honestly, if I had legs like yours, I'd have my skirt even shorter!" she exclaimed.  
Louise looked thoughtful.  
"Seriously, your legs are amazing! II'm jealous!" Pansy complimented her.  
"Thanks" Louise looked surprised by the compliment. Pansy was nicer once you took the time to get to know her...  
There was a tap on the compartment door but before anyone could answer it, the three boys bounded in, still dressed in their ordinary clothes.  
"Ugh, you're all changed already" Blaise looked disappointed.  
Pansy and Daphne sstarted to laugh, and so did Louise beginning to feel a sense of belonging with the Slytherins.  
Evidently, the boys felt this way too, as they changed into their robes front of the girls, without so much as a blush. Not that they had a reason to blush, their obsessive Quidditch practise had left them with desirable figures. Pansy, Daphne and Louise let their eyes wander over the toned physiques of the boys.  
When they were changed, they sat back down.  
"Bet you're glad you turned down Flint now, eh Daph?" Pansy teased in a low voice so that the boys couldn't hear. Louise giggled, remembering how, even as a Gryffindor, she had thought that Marcus Flint had had a thing for Daphne, turns out she had been right!  
"Just you wait Parkinson" Daphne's empty threat only made Pansy and Louise laugh harder.  
Eventually, they managed to stop laughing and began to talk about a new robes shop which was opening in Hogsmeade.  
The three girls were chattering excitedly, flipping through robes catalogues, when Daphne suddenly spoke in a soft voice. "Lou, Theodore hasn't taken his eyes off you once in the last ten minutes! " she told her new friend.  
Daphne and Louise sneaked glances at Theodore, whilst they kept up an act of browsing the catalogues.  
Sure enough, not realizing that he had been detected, Theodore was staring, transfixed, at Louise.  
The girls sniggered together, causing the other two to look over at them too.  
"What's going on?" Draco asked suspiciously.  
"Why nothing Draco darling, I think you're being a bit paranoid" Daphne put on a child-like expression .  
"We were just discussing fashion choices..." Louise paused, looking the three boys over with a critical expression. "My my, we have got some work to do" she shook her head, looking despairing.  
Pansy however, ddidn't say a thing, but her eyes barely left Draco's face.  
As the boys resumed their conversation, Louise turned to Pansy. "Do you have a thing for my cousin?" she asked, sounding interested.  
Pansy blushed. "No!" she whisper-exclaimed.  
Daphne and Louise looked disbelieving. "Okay, fine, I'll admit it, yes I do" Pansy went even pinker.  
Louise high-fived Daphne. "Knew it!" she giggled.  
"And you're okay with that?" Pansy asked Louise hopefully.  
Louise grinned. "Course I am! You two would make a really cute couple!"  
As they giggled and talked like they'd been friends forever, Louise felt a happiness which she hadn't felt in a while, genuine happiness. She felt like the Slytherins understood her and she found hherself hoping that she would be put into Slytherin; no other house would be as understanding...


	13. Chapter 13

The first years had just been sorted into their houses when Professor McGonnagol called for "Louise Lestrange"  
This caused a series of murmurs from the students who weren't aware of Bellatrix's daughter. Louise even caught sight of some glares being thrown her way (although they mostly came from girls whose boyfriends were staring longingly at her).  
As expected, Louise was quickly sorted into Slytherin, swiftly followed by her brother.  
Theodore, who had noticed the looks Louise had been attracting, made a point of putting a hand on her shoulder as he congratulated her on getting into Slytherin.

Later...  
Much to their delight, Louise had been placed in Daphne and Pansy's dorm.  
As the three girls unpacked, Louise pulled out a muggle iPod and placed it on her bedside table.  
"What's this?" Pansy asked, picking it up.  
She gave a startled cry and almost dropped the iPod, as she accidentally pressed a button and Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World began to play.  
Laughing, Louise showed her friends how the iPod worked and, before long, the three of them were dancing aaround their dorm, singing along to the chorus of the song.  
As the song ended, applause broke out from the doorway. Startled, the three girls turned to see Draco, Blaise and Theodore watching them.  
"Nice moves ladies" Blaise commented as the three boys came into their dorm.  
Louise looked puzzled.  
"What?" Theodore asked her.  
She shook her head. "It's nothing" she replied.  
"Go on, what were you going to say?" Blaise asked.  
"It's just, the stairs in the Gryffindor dorms, well for the girls dorms, they're enchanted to turn into a slide if a boy tries to walk up them" she explained.  
"Really?" Daphne and Pansy sounded surprised.  
Louise nodded. "Is there nothing like that here?" she asked.  
The others shook their heads.  
"Don't worry about it Lou, if anyone who we don't want in here comes in, we just fetch these three" Pansy nodded towards the three boys.  
Louise gave the boys a critical look. "Ah yes, our knights in shining armour" she said sarcastically, but she was grinning.  
"Aw, come on Louise, you can't say you wouldn't be happy if your knight in shining armour looked half as hot as me" Blaise winked at her.  
She rolled her eyes at him. "Your ego needs deflating Zabini" she retorted.  
"What do you think, Daph?" Blaise turned his smirk on the brunette.  
She giggled. "You can sweep me off my feet any day you like sweetie" she fluttered her eyelashes at him.  
Louise and Pansy collapsed into giggles as Blaise (who was now an impressive shade of Gryffindor red), hurried out of the door with the other two boys on his heels.  
Daphne raised her eyebrows at her near-hysterical friends. "What's so funny?" she asked innocently.  
"Daphne and Blaise sitting in a tree...KISSING!" Pansy and Louise chanted in unison, giggling manically.  
Daphne went red. "Shut up you two!" she hissed, trying not to smile.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning...  
Louise woke up to a blinding ray of sunlight in her eyes. She gave a startled cry and rolled over. Unfortunately, she rolled over a bit too far, rolling out of her bed and landing on the floor with a thud, which woke Daphne and Pansy.  
Her friends sat up, sleepily rubbing their eyes, looking at her with bewildered expressions.  
"I fell" she offered offered in response to their looks.  
Pansy and Daphne sniggered, but then Pansy noticed the time.  
"Oh no! We've overslept!" she shrieked.  
Louise looked puzzled. "Erm...Pansy, it's only 6am" she pointed out.  
Pansy didn't answer, she had jumped out of bed and was bent over her trunk, throwing clothes over her shoulder as she searched for a towel.  
"We usually get up at 5:30am at the latest" Daphne eexplained.  
Louise looked horrified. "Why?" she asked. "We didn't get up until 7am in Gryffindor!"  
Daphne gave an extremely unladylike snort. "And the Gryffindor girls wonder why we Slytherin girls get more male attention..." she laughed. "If you want to look good, you need to be prepared to get up early, the boys at Hogwarts aren't interested if you don't look picture-perfect!"  
Louise looked outraged. "Well that's ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "Is looks all that is important to them?"  
Daphne shrugged. "That's just how it is" she replied.  
"Well it shouldn't be!" Louise fumed.  
"Hey, I'm on your side in this honey, you think I like the fact that unless my skirt is so short my underwear is practically on show and my face is plastered in make-up, I get treated like some kind of disease?" Daphne demanded.  
"Surely not all the boys at Hogwarts are like that..." Louise thought back to Oliver Wood and all the times when he'd told her how pretty she was and said that she didn't need make-up.  
Daphne sighed unhappily. "If you know of any, please give me their names!"  
Pansy returned from the bathroom, showered and wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings, her hair washed and wrapped in a towel.  
"Well what about Draco, Blaise and Theodore?" Louise wanted to know.  
Daphne shrugged. "They're not as bad as most, they are genuinely friends with us, we've all known each other in some way long before Hogwarts, but you never know when a pretty girl's going to walk by and turn their heads" she replied, still looking unhappy.  
Pansy spoke up then. "You'll get used to it Lou, I know it's wrong and it shouldn't be how it is, but there's not a lot we can do, so we just have to act like we're not bothered, it gets easier" she advised.  
Louise sighed. "I guess you're right" she sounded defeated.  
Pansy smiled reassuringly. "Head up girl, and don't let any boy ever take advantage" she warned. "They might only want us for our looks, but we sure won't take any of their nonsense!"  
Daphne perked up a bit. "You know Pans, that's really good advice" she smiled.  
Louise's scowl had also softened into a smile.  
"Hey ladies, we're not going to let any man take us for granted, we deserve the same respect that they do!" Pansy told her friends.  
Louise and Daphne nodded. "Agreed" they said in unison.


	15. Chapter 15

Daphne, Pansy and Louise walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. The majority of the school was already assembled, meaning that the three girls attracted a lot of stares and, in some cases, appreciative whistles.  
However, the very second the girls sat down, the whistles stopped. Blaise, Draco and Theodore were already well-known throughout the school for jinxing any boy (or girl for that matter) who attempted to make advances with Pansy or Daphne, so there was no doubt that this would apply to Louise too.  
Looking smug, the three boys greeted the girls, who were looking thoroughly amused.  
"Good morning ladies, looking as stunning as ever" Blaise said smoothly.  
"Morning Handsome" Daphne cooed back.  
Pansy and Louise exchanged a look, both trying not to laugh.  
Draco and Theodore were also trying to contain their laughter.  
"I wish he'd just ask her out already" Theodore muttered in Louise's ear.  
She met his amused eyes, giggling.

As they walked to their first lesson, which was Divination, a Hufflepuff boy, from the year above (sixth year), paused in the corridor, giving the three girls a long stare.  
"Hey, Lestrange! Nice legs!" he called after them.  
Louise looked disgusted and didn't even bother to turn around. Daphne and Pansy gave her looks.  
"Are you okay Lou?" Pansy asked.  
Louise didn't answer, but stopped walking. She turned to face the boy, (who hadn't moved) and pulled out her wand. There was a purple flash of light as she cast a very successful boils jinx, looking much happier when boils began to erupt across the face of the boy.  
"I am now" she said in response to Pansy's question.  
Pansy, Daphne, Blaise, Draco and Theodore looked highly entertained.  
"That was wicked!" Daphne exclaimed.  
"There is no denying it; you're a Lestrange!" Blaise exclaimed.  
Louise giggled. "Thanks guys" she grinned.


	16. Chapter 16

Later that day...  
The six of them were in Potions with Snape. The greasy-haired professor favoured his own house and turned a blind eye when Draco and the others did barely any work, choosing instead, to sit and talk.  
At the end of the lesson, Snape issued Ron and Harry with a detention for not paying attention in lesson. Draco, Blaise and Theodore found this hilarious and kept sniggering as they left the class.

At the end of lunch, Professor McGonnagol stood up and announced that the sixth years would be able to visit Hogsmeade that weekend and that they should take extra-care so as not to disgrace the good name of the school in a single afternoon.  
They were leaving the Great Hall, when Pansy pointed out that they had a free period next. The three girls headed up to their dorm, leaving the boys to lounge around in the common room.  
Once they were out of earshot of the boys, Pansy squealed "Lou! Theo can't keep his eyes off you!"  
Louise rolled her own eyes. "As if" she snorted in disbelief.  
"Honest Lou, he keeps staring at you when he thinks no one's looking" Pansy said seriously.  
Louise raised her eyebrows, looking thoughtful. "While I consider this information, what about Daph and Blaise?" she giggled.  
"What about me and Blaise?" Daphne demanded.  
Louise shook her head despairingly. "No, no Daphne! What you should have said was 'what about Blaise and I?'" she scolded.  
Daphne pulled a face. "Yeah, yeah, anyway..." she looked questioning.  
"You're like a pair of lovesick puppies, one of you needs to ask the other one out before one of us does it for you!" Louise sniggered.  
Daphne went pink. "What do you mean?" she asked.  
Pansy sighed dramatically. "We mean, you two are driving us all insane with your endless flirting! And if you two don't hurry up and get together of your own accord, then we'll all just set you two up on a date" she warned.  
Daphne looked anxious. "I'm not asking him! I can't!" she fretted.  
Louise and Pansy exchanged exasperated looks.

Meanwhile, back in the common room...  
"Mate, will you just man up and ask Daphne out!" Theodore exclaimed to Blaise.  
Blaise raised his eyebrows. "I could say the same to you about Louise" he retorted.  
"No you couldn't, because I don't flirt non-stop with her and when I do, I'm subtle" Theodore smirked lazily.  
Blaise looked to Draco for back-up, but his friend shrugged calmly, responding "Theo's right, you flirt non-stop with her, and she flirts back. She obviously likes you, so you should just ask her out before I go and do it on your behalf!"

In the separate areas of Slytherin house, both Daphne and Blaise sighed, thinking dreamily of the other whilst their friends exchanged exasperated looks...


	17. Chapter 17

The following morning...  
"Morning Blaise" Daphne cooed.  
Pansy and Louise exchanged equally exasperated looks.  
Draco and Theodore were giving (a tomato-red) Blaise pointed looks.  
"Erm Daphne, can I speak to you after breakfast?" Blaise asked, sounding hopeful.  
Daphne went pink. "Sure" she replied.

After breakfast...  
Blaise and Daphne headed back to the common room to speak. The other four hung around in a nearby corridor; waiting for news.  
"Do you think he'll ask her?" Pansy asked.  
"Hopefully" Draco muttered.  
After ten minutes, Blaise and Daphne reappeared. Blaise's cheeks were fiery red and Daphne's eyes displayed bewilderment.  
They walked towards Divination in silence; no one willing to outright ask what had been said.  
They passed the boy's toilets on the second floor and the three boys headed inside without saying a word.  
Daphne raised her eyebrows at Pansy and Louise, who both shrugged. The three girls carried on walking slowly towards their Divination classroom.

Meanwhile in the boy's toilets...  
"Mate, what happened?" Theodore asked Blaise.  
His friend looked unhappy. "I couldn't do it" he admitted. "I couldn't bring myself to ask her out"  
"So what did you ask her?" Draco asked sharply.  
"I...I asked her if I could copy her Charms essay" Blaise admitted.  
Draco and Theodore looked to be in shock, but both regained their senses and began howling with laughter.  
"There's no wonder she looked so confused!" Draco chuckled.  
"Man, you need to find some way of asking her out which you won't chicken out of" Theodore commented.  
"I know" Blaise sighed.  
"Right, we need to come up with some ideas" Draco said decisively. "This evening, our dorm, we'll come up with a plan"  
Blaise looked thankful. "Thanks guys" he grinned. "I don't know what I'd do without you"  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, anytime. Save the soppy stuff for Daphne, Zabini!" he retorted.


	18. Chapter 18

Louise was enjoying her new life, however, as with most things; there was a downside.

The six Slytherins were sitting at their table in the Great Hall, eating breakfast as usual. When the owls arrived, Draco and Louise both recieved letters from their parents. The cousins read their letters with equally confused expressions. Further down the table, a bewildered Alex had also received a letter.  
"What's wrong?" Pansy asked her friend gently.  
Louise shook her head, exchanging a glance with Draco. "Nothing's wrong...at least I don't think anything's wrong. My mum has written to tell me that I have to go back to Malfoy Manor at the weekend for an important family meeting; but that's all she's said..."  
Across the table, Draco was nodding his head. "That's pretty much the same as my letter" he mused.  
Alex came over to his younger sister. "Have you got a letter too, Lou?" he asked.  
His sister nodded. "Family meeting at the weekend, have to be there?" she asked.  
Alex nodded. "You too Draco?" he asked his cousin.  
"Yeah...any ideas what this is about?" Draco asked.  
Alex shook his head. "Not a clue, I guess we'll find out soon though; Saturday is only two days away!" He shrugged and went to rejoin his friends, further down the table.  
Draco and Louise tucked their letters into their robes, pushing the weekend to the backs of their minds.  
"So, there goes our chance at getting in some Quidditch practise this weekend" Blaise scowled.  
Daphne giggled. "Never mind Blaise" she smirked at him.  
He went red and looked down at his plate.  
"Hey! This was important! Quidditch tryouts are in two weeks time and we need to be sure we get into the reserve team, if not the actual team!" Theodore exclaimed.  
Louise rolled her eyes. "Relax boys; we can practise tomorrow afternoon, we've got two free periods!" she said calmly.  
"Besides, if you're as good at Quidditch as you make out; you won't need to practise!" Pansy teased them.  
"Oh it's not us who we're worried about..." Draco smirked.  
"Then who...?" The three girls looked puzzled.  
"Lou" Draco replied, looking at his cousin, who looked startled.  
"What?" she asked in confusion.  
"In the summer, we were out in Diagon Alley and you promised us you'd try out for the Quidditch team" Theodore reminded her.  
She frowned. "I remember saying that I might try out, but I don't remember committing to anything!" she protested.  
Draco, Blaise and Theodore folded their arms across their (sculpted) chests, raising their eyebrows at her.  
"Oh well fine, if you're too chicken..." Draco rolled his eyes.  
Blaise was looking exasperated. "I suppose you're worried you won't be anywhere as good as us..." he sighed.  
Theodore gave her an almost-pleading look. "Oh come on Lou, it'll be fun!" he tried to persuade her.  
She sighed, rolling her eyes at Pansy and Daphne, both of whom looked entertained. "Look, I'll think about it, okay? I'm not promising anything though!"  
The boys sighed. "Fine" Blaise looked as though he would glue her to her broom if she dared say no.  
Looking innocent, she took a sip of her pumpkin juice, trying not to giggle.


	19. Chapter 19

The next day...

It was the lesson before lunch. Pansy, Daphne and Louise were in Potions. Snape had just set them all off making draughts of Living Death when Draco, Theodore and Blaise slipped in. They joined the three girls at their workbench but, unfortunately for them, Snape spotted them and pounced.  
"Why are we late gentlemen?" he asked smoothly.  
Draco muttered something and Snape nodded, walking away.  
"How is it that those slimy gits get away with everything?" Ron grumbled at the other side of the classroom.  
"Detention Mr Weasley" Snape said calmly, glaring at the Gryffindor.  
"How did he hear me?" Ron groaned in a low voice.  
"He must have ears like a bat" Harry replied, just as quietly.  
"Mr Potter, you will join your friend Mr Weasley on detention" Snape called as he glided across the classroom to check on Crabbe and Goyle's potions.  
Draco, Theodore and Blaise snickered, but the three girls got on with their potion-brewing.  
At the end of the lesson, the six of them walked to the Great Hall together.  
"So, where were you boys at?" Pansy asked Draco.  
"We were talking to Alex, he'd heard a rumour that Potter suspects we're Death Eators" he muttered.  
"What?" Pansy, Daphne and Louise looked startled.  
"Look, we'll tell you this afternoon, okay?" Theodore said in a low voice.  
The three girls didn't look satisfied, but nodded. As they found their usual seats, Pansy spotted Harry Potter watching the six of them suspiciously.  
Snickering, Blaise muttered "how about we give him something to stare at?"  
The others chuckled quietly, nodding.  
Theodore snaked his arm around Louise, pulling her close to him. "Let's make it look like I'm whispering dark secrets to you" he breathed into her ear.  
She pretended to look shocked, trying her hardest not to laugh.  
Draco had scooted close to Pansy and they had their heads together, looking for all the world as though they were plotting some dark mission.  
Daphne and Blaise went all out. Daphne scooted onto his lap and appeared to be whispering into his ear.  
Shooting their friends amused glances, the other four noticed that Blaise was pinker than usual. As they kept up this act, tthey attracted attention from not only Harry and Ron, but from other students too. Astoria Greengrass, Daphne's younger sister, was staring open mouthed at the six older students huddled down the table from her. One student in particular, looked torn between amusement and horror. Alex Lestrange was watching the antics of his sister, their cousin and their friends with a mixed expression. In the end, he simply rolled his eyes and left them to it.  
As students began to leave the hall and head to their afternoon lessons, the six Slytherins stopped by their dorms to pick up their brooms (only the most up to date models of course) before heading out onto the (deserted) Quidditch pitch.  
The six of them mucked around for a little while, chasing each other around and playing mid-air tag, but they eventually put in some proper practise.  
By the end of the two hours, they were all red-faced and sweaty, but laughing and having a great time.  
"Lou, you have to try out for the team; you're amazing!" Theodore called to her as they all landed.  
She grinned. "Thanks Theo" she replied. "I'll think about it! Anyway, are you three going to talk to us about this rumour or not?"  
The boys exchanged looks as the six of them sat down on the grass.  
"Look, are you three Death Eators?" Louise asked impatiently, but in a low voice. "It doesn't bother me if you are, I know for a fact, my brother is one"  
"Lou, I'm not sure if this is the right place for having this conversation"Theodore said uncomfortably.  
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Screw that, everyone else is in lessons or their common rooms; we might as well tell them" he shrugged.  
"Look, we are Death Eators, at least we attend the meetings and are classed as them, but we don't have the Dark Mark" Draco explained in a low voice.  
The girls nodded, but Daphne looked suspicious. "Are you sure you don't have it?" she asked cautiously.  
"For crying out loud Daphne! I think they'd know!" Pansy exclaimed.  
"Prove it" Daphne said sharply.  
Rolling their eyes, the three boys rolled up both sleeves, revealing unmarked arms.  
"Does it matter anyway?" Blaise asked Daphne anxiously.  
She shook her head. "I don't mind if you're Death Eators, I just didn't want to think you were lying to me" she replied quietly.  
The boys looked relieved. "Can we talk about something a little less depressing?" Pansy asked suddenly.  
"Yeah, like this family meeting Alex, Lou and I have to go to tomorrow; what an excellent way to spend a Saturday, I think not" Draco said gloomily, lying down on his back on the grass.  
The others laughed. "Don't be so moody Dray" Louise grinned at him.  
He scowled at the sky. "Well it doesn't exactly sound fun" he retorted.  
Pansy gently combed her fingers through his silky hair. "Maybe it won't be all that bad" she said soothingly.  
Draco was relieved when Blaise and Theodore changed the conversation to try and persuade Louise to tryout for the Quidditch team because it meant no one was paying enough attention to him to notice his lightly blushing cheeks...


	20. Chapter 20

Draco, Louise and Alex arrived at Malfoy Manor at around 11:00am. Bellatrix, Narcissa and Lucius were all waiting for them in the living room.  
"Mum? What's going on?" Alex asked, a look of confusion on his face.  
Lucius cleared his throat. "Sit down you three" he instructed.  
The three teenagers hesitantly sat in a row on the green leather couch opposite their parents, or in Alex and Louise's case, their parent.  
"We feel that as three highly intelligent, mature young purebloods, now is the time for you to become engaged; to approved, pureblood young people of course" Lucius spoke carefully.  
"Hang on...you're arranging engagements for all three of us?" Alex asked.  
"We have got particular, suitable people in mind" Bellatrix nodded.  
"But don't worry darlings, we have selected people who you know and like" Narcissa cut in soothingly, seeing the startled expressions on the faces of her son, niece and nephew.  
"Who?" Draco asked cautiously.  
The three adults exchanged a look.  
"Alex, I have chosen Penelope Greengrass for you" Bellatrix told her son.  
Draco and Louise looked up at the mention of Daphne's older sister, who, like Alex, was in the year above them.  
Alex looked thoughtful.  
"What do you think darling?" Bellatrix asked her son.  
Alex nodded slowly. "I like Penny, I think I could live with her" he said eventually.  
Bellatrix looked relieved. "That's brilliant darling! I'll write to her parents immediately, they thought it was an extremely good idea, they tell me she speaks very highly of you" she beamed at her son who had gone red.  
"What about us?" Louise asked.  
"Well sweetie, I have chosen Theodore Nott for you, at a request from his parents who say he is extremely taken with you" Bellatrix told her daughter, watching with baited breath for her response.  
Louise's eyes widened and she looked at Draco with a shocked expression. He smirked at his cousin, nodding his approval.  
"Does he know?" Louise asked hesitantly.  
Bellatrix shook her head. "His parents are eagerly awaiting your response before they tell him" she replied.  
"Okay..." Louise said slowly.  
"Does that mean you'll agree?" Bellatrix looked hopefully at her daughter.  
Louise nodded. "I suppose it could be worse, at least Theo and I get on pretty well" she said finally.  
Bellatrix looked delighted. "Oh sweetie, I'm so proud!" she exclaimed, smiling at her daughter. "I'll send an owl to his parents right away!"  
Finally, it was Draco's turn. He looked nervously at his parents, unsure of what to expect.  
"Son, the girl we have chosen for you is Daphne Greengrass" Lucius announced.  
The colour drained from Draco's face and he exchanged a horrified look with Louise.  
"Darling? What do you think?" Narcissa asked.  
"No way" Draco shook his head. "I can't get engaged to Daphne!"  
"Why ever not?" Lucius looked shocked by his son's reaction.  
"Daphne doesn't see me that way...and I don't see her that way" Draco protested.  
Lucius exchanged a look with Narcissa, who began to speak to her husband and her sister in a panicked tone, speaking too quietly for any of the teenagers to hear what she was saying.  
Draco slumped back on the sofa, looking miserable.  
Louise patted her cousin's shoulder comfortingly. "What if it was Pansy?" she asked him quietly. "Would you get engaged to Pansy?"  
Draco met the knowing gaze of his cousin. "If it was Pansy...of course I would!" he replied, looking embarrassed when he realized what he'd just admitted to.  
"It's okay Dray, I know how you feel about her" Louise murmured to him. His eyes widened in horror. "I'm your cousin, I can tell" she shrugged. "You act differently with her than with Daphne or me. It's okay, neither of them have noticed"  
Draco looked slightly relieved by this, but looked wary as Louise got to her feet.  
"What are you doing?" he hissed.  
"I'll only be a minute" she replied, not answering the question.  
Louise walked over to her Aunt, Uncle and Mum.  
"What is it sweetie?" Bellatrix asked her daughter.  
"I've got a suggestion" Louise told the adults.  
"Well let's hear it then" Lucius sighed.  
"Why not let Draco get engaged to Pansy Parkinson?" Louise asked. "They like each other and her parents would probably agree"  
Narcissa nodded thoughtfully. "I've always liked Pansy" she mused. "She's the pretty one with beautiful manners"  
Lucius thought for a moment. "Alright, I'm considering the Parkinson girl, but tell me one thing Louise, why is my son so against becoming engaged to Daphne Greengrass? I thought they got on?"  
Louise nodded. "They do get on" she confirmed. "But Daphne and Blaise are really close and we suspect that they'll be dating before long, they both like each other...a lot." she explained.  
Narcissa looked sharply at her husband. "Well that settles it. Draco will not be engaged to Daphne, we can't break up the bond she has with Blaise! Draco can become engaged to Pansy" she smiled.  
Lucius nodded. "Very well" he sighed. "She was on the list of suitable candidates anyway..."  
Louise beamed and went to re-join her cousin and her brother. The three adults followed her.  
"Draco, Louise has explained to us the situation between Daphne and Blaise and so we have decided that instead of Daphne Greengrass, you will be engaged to Pansy Parkinson" Lucius told his son. "I shall go and owl her parents now" he left the room, followed by his wife and his sister-in-law, who were both smiling happily.  
Draco hugged Louise tightly. "Thank you so much Lou!" he exclaimed.  
She smiled at her cousin. "No problem" she replied.  
Alex was also smiling. "Well I guess this could have worked out worse than it has" he mused. "At least we all like the people our parents have chosen!"  
His sister and his cousin couldn't help but agree.


	21. Chapter 21

Alex, Louise and Draco stayed at Malfoy Manor that night.  
The next morning they woke early, ddisoriented and sleepy; unable to work out why they were at home and not at Hogwarts. Then it hit them. They remembered the conversation with their parents the previous day and wondered if their future wives (or husband in Louise's case) had been told yet. Yawning, the three of them got out of bed and dressed in their ordinary clothes.  
Seeing his mistress about to head out of the room, Prince got to his feet, wagging his tail as he followed her down to the dining room. Louise entered the dining room seconds before Alex and then finally...Draco.  
As they ate their breakfast, their parents announced that they had received owls back from the Greengrass family, the Nott family and the Parkinson family and they were all extremely pleased with the plans. Their soon-to-be-fianceés had received owls from their parents that very morning. "By the time you return to school, they will have had time to process the news" Bellatrix explained.  
"What if one of them refuses?" Louise asked, a worried expression on her face.  
"They won't refuse" Lucius assured his niece.  
"But how do you know?" Louise looked confused.  
Alex, upon seeing the look of confusion on his sister' s face, decided to explain. "Lou, it's normal in pureblood wizarding families for arranged marriages" he told her. "Sometimes purebloods marry a witch or wizard who they love if that particular witch or wizard has been approved off by their parents"  
Recognition passed over Louise's face. "Oh, okay" she nodded.

The three teenagers took Prince out for a walk before they headed back to Hogwarts. As they walked through the woods, Louise noticed that her cousin and her brother both seemed unusually quiet.  
"Are you two okay?" she asked, rather hesitantly.  
"I'm fine" Draco replied almost immediately.  
"So am I" Alex shrugged.  
"Are you sure? Neither of you seem okay...in fact, you both seem anything but okay!"  
"I'm just thinking" Alex shrugged.  
Louise frowned. "What about?" she pressed.  
Her brother sighed. "I just don't like this whole arranged marriage thing" he replied.  
"I thought you liked Penelope?" Louise raised her eyebrows.  
"I do!" Alex said quickly. "But..." he trailled off, shaking his head.  
"But what?" Draco joined in the conversation.  
"I...I wanted to ask her out this weekend, I had it all planned out; but now it's just going to look like I'm only doing it because of this stupid arranged marriage" he said bitterly.  
Louise patted her brother's arm in a comforting gesture. "It's okay Alex, I'm sure Penelope will be cool with it, I've always thought that she liked you" she soothed.  
"Hey dude, I'm the one who should be worried!" Draco put in. "We both think that Penelope actually like likes you, whereas I haven't got a clue about what Pansy thinks of me! She could hate my guts for all I know!"  
Alex glanced at his sister. "You're best friends with her" he stated.  
Louise nodded. "I am...and your point is...?"  
Alex rolled his eyes. "What does Pansy think of our Cuz?" he asked.  
Louise attempted to not grin. "I don't know" she replied, fixing an innocent expression onto her face.  
Draco looked frustrated. "Lou...please tell me" he whined.  
Alex suddenly grabbed his younger sister and began to tickle her. Giggling helplessly, she shrieked "alright! I'll tell you!"  
Alex let go of his sister, tossing a stick ahead of them for Prince to chase after. "Come on then...spill" he looked at her expectantly.  
Louise looked from her brother, to her cousin, who was looking pleading. She smiled. "Pansy has a hopeless crush on you...she has done for as long as any of us can remember!" she confirmed.  
Draco's face lit up. "Really?" he asked.  
"Yes really! But you didn't hear it from me!" his cousin smiled.  
As Louise called to Prince, they began to walk back home.  
"You know Lou, Theo's had a crush on you since the day we met you, at the meeting" Draco told her.  
Louise went pink. "Seriously?" she asked uncertainly.  
Her cousin nodded. "Honest, he does! He was literally so determined that you should come everywhere with us in the summer, don't you remember?"  
"I remember thinking that he was just being friendly" Louise shrugged.  
Draco shook his head. "Theo really likes you Lou; he'll be over the moon that it's been arranged that the pair of you are to be married!"  
Louise went red and her brother came to her rescue. "Well we're all waiting for Pansy's reaction!" he teased their cousin.  
The three of them continued to tease each other as they walked home, Prince running ahead, turning back every so often, so as to make sure his mistress was still there. Louise thought to herself, and not for the first time, how much happier she was in her new life.


	22. Chapter 22

When Draco, Louise and Alex arrived back at Hogwarts, they headed straight to the Slytherin common room.  
To their surprise, it was relatively empty (considering that it was a Sunday), so they headed up to their separate dorms to search for their friends.  
Louise walked into her dorm to find Pansy curled up on her bed looking as though she was in shock. Daphne was sat on her own bed, flicking through a magazine looking unconcerned. Glancing up, she spotted Louise and grinned, exclaiming "Lou! You're back!"  
Louise smiled. "What's up with Pansy?" she asked, shooting their friend an anxious look.  
"She got a letter from her parents telling her that-"  
"-she's going to be engaged to Draco" Louise finished Daphne's sentence with a grin.  
Daphne nodded. "How did you...oh the family meeting, so who are you going to be engaged to?" she raised her eyebrows at her friend.  
"Theo" Louise muttered, looking at the ground.  
Daphne squealed happily and even Pansy snapped out of her bubble long enough to grin at her best friend.  
"Congratulations Lou" Pansy smiled.  
"Same to you!" Louise beamed. "We're going to be cousins!"  
Pansy grinned. "Was this what the emergency meeting was about?" she asked.  
Louise nodded. Turning to Daphne, she asked "did your sister tell you her news?"  
Daphne nodded. "She's getting engaged to your brother! Which means we'll be sisters! And Pansy, we'll be cousins!"  
The three girls were chatting excitedly when an owl flew through the open window. Dropping a letter into Daphne's lap, it flew to one of their small desks and perched on the edge of it.  
A puzzled expression on her face, Daphne opened the letter and began to read it. After a few moments, she gave a small shriek and the letter fell from her hands.  
"Daph?" Pansy and Louise looked both curious and concerned.  
Hesitantly, Pansy picked up the letter, skimming through it. "You're going to be engaged to Blaise!" she exclaimed.  
"Congratulations Daph!" Louise grinned.  
Daphne was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Wow" she breathed.  
Before any of them had time to say another word, the three boys walked in.  
Theodore wasted no time, walking straight over to Louise and speaking quietly. "I know you've heard that we're to be engaged, but I think it's best if we take things at our own pace" he told her. Louise nodded slowly, unsure of where this was going. "So, will you go out with me?" he asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.  
Louise smiled at him. "Yes!" she allowed him to hug her, hugging him back just as tightly.  
While this had been occurring, Draco and Blaise had got busy themselves.  
Draco had asked Pansy out (she hadn't even needed to consider her response-an immediate yes!) and they were now talking quietly together.  
Blaise had finally plucked up the courage to ask Daphne out and they were now staring into each others' eyes, much to the amusement of the other four.  
As she leant against Theodore, feeling his strong arms wind protectively around her and seeing her friends who were now coupled up, Louise got the feeling that they may have some problems just around the corner...


	23. Chapter 23

It was Thursday. The Gryffindors and Slytherins in their year had a free period, so Louise, Daphne and Pansy were walking down the corridor, on their way to meet the boys. Neville Longbottom was walking the opposite way and Louise gave him a friendly smile as he hastily walked past them. Louise was surprised, she had always got on with Neville when she had been in Gryffindor...  
Seeing the puzzled expression on her best friend's face, Pansy reminded her "it's because your the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange"  
Realisation dawned on Louise's face and she clamped a hand across her mouth, looking horrified. "He must be terrified of me!" she gasped.  
"It's okay, most of the school are scared of us" Daphne soothed.  
Pansy nodded. "Once they find out who our parents are, that's it" she added.  
Louise's eyes were sad. "It shouldn't be like this" she sighed.  
They joined the boys under a tree near the Black Lake. Slipping his arm around the shoulders of his girlfriend, Theodore asked her "Hey...what's wrong?"  
She sighed and explained what happened with Neville.  
"Why do you care what Longbottom thinks of you?" Blaise asked, sounding bewildered. Theodore glared at him and he held up his hands. "I didn't mean it to sound like that, I was just asking" he added hastily.  
Daphne elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. "Don't be so thick-headed" she told him impatiently. "It just shook Lou a little, it was the first time she's had any interaction whatsoever with any Gryffindors since she became one of us!"  
Louise shot her best friend a grateful smile.  
Theodore gave his girlfriend a concerned look. "You are happy with your new life though, aren't you?" he asked, sounding worried.  
Louise nodded, leaning against her boyfriend, who instinctively tightened the arm he had around her. "I'm so much happier now; I actually feel like I belong with you guys...it's just, I never thought I'd get looks of pure terror from the people who, this time last year, I was friends with" she sighed.  
Theodore gave her an encouraging smile. "It's going to be okay" he promised her as he gently kissed the top of her head. "You've got us now"  
As the others voiced their agreements to his statement, Theodore lowered hid voice, murmuring to Louise "and I don't plan on letting you go"


	24. Chapter 24

Daphne and Pansy had got a detention with Professor McGonnagol for not paying attention in Transfiguration, so LLouise was searching the castle for the three boys, who'd left History of Magic early at a request from Snape.  
As she walked out of the library, after checking that they weren't there, Louise decided to check the Quidditch pitch again incase they'd headed outside.  
Nearing the pitch, she heard voices around the corner. She headed towards the voices and realised, with a sinking heart, that they belonged to Blaise, Draco and Theodore, and they sounded angry. But there was a fourth voice.  
Louise turned the corner and spotted the three boys standing over a cowering figure. She marched over to find out what was going on; Theodore and Draco knew that she hated them bullying younger students.  
But, to her horror, she realized that it wasn't a younger student. It was Neville Longbottom.  
Her cousin was scowling furiously at him. "I don't like you upsetting my cousin" he was snarling.  
As Louise neared them, she heard Theodore hiss "don't you ever upset her again, you hear me? Or else..." he menacingly pointed his wand at the Gryffindor.  
"Stop!" Louise yelled.  
The four boys turned to stare at her.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded.  
"He upset you" Theodore shrugged, stepping towards his girlfriend.  
Louise's hands flew to her face. "Is that what this is about?" she asked in horror. "But we explained what had happened; it wasn't as though he'd intentionally set out to upset me...although I wouldn't have blamed him if he had" she added under her breath.  
Theodore shook his head. "Don't say that" he said sternly. "None of this is your fault"  
Rolling her eyes at him, Louise turned to Neville, who was still curled up on the ground. She extended a hand to help him to his feet and, hesitantly, he accepted it. Once he was back on his feet, he was about to walk away when Louise spoke directly to him. "Neville I'm so sorry, about your family as well as what just happened" she said sincerely.  
Neville nodded nervously. "It's okay" he mumbled, turning away.  
Theodore looked at the despairing expression on his girlfriend's face and spoke. "Long-...Neville?" he asked.  
The Gryffindor looked at him.  
"Look, I'm...sorry, I just couldn't bear the fact that Lou was upset, so no hard feelings?" he offered his hand for Neville to shake, which the Gryffindor boy did so, looking uncomfortable.  
"No hard feelings" Neville agreed.  
Draco, after a sideways glance at his cousin, also stepped forwards, offering his hand. "I was just looking out for my cousin, no hard feelings?" he asked.  
Neville agreed, his eyes widening at the fact that Draco Malfoy of all people was apologising to him.  
Blaise was last, he muttered some apology and shook Neville's hand quickly, trying to get the whole thing over and done with as quickly as possible.  
As Neville hurried back up to the castle in a state of shock, Draco pulled his cousin into a brief hug. "I'm sorry Lou" he muttered. "I just didn't want you to be upset"  
She hugged her cousin back. "It's okay, can we just forget about it?" she asked.  
Draco nodded. "Gladly" he agreed.  
Theodore slipped his arm around his girlfriend as they all headed to their common room. "Are you angry with me?" he asked anxiously.  
Louise shook her head. "I know why you did it...as long as you don't do it again then I'm okay with it" she replied.  
Theodore looked relieved as he kissed her forehead before continuing to walk towards their common room with their friends...


End file.
